Inclusive development and MGNREGA

MGNREGA was introduced as a flagship programme to provide Employment and Empowerment of weaker sections- SCs, STs, OBCs, Minorities and Women. The document argues for inclusion of these sections of society to participate in process of Economic Development. It emphasizes on providing guaranteed additional employment with minimum pay which is on par with wages of unskilled labour and in some states better than those wages. By providing additional 100 days employment it enables them to afford quality of life in terms of accessing socio-economic opportunities and meeting their utility desires. This paper tries to understand how MGNREGA enables inclusive development. An attempt is made to analyse whether the programme is really enabling Inclusive Economic Development using simple statistical tools. The study found that MGNREGA has made significant impact on the lives of backward communities and in the process making them part of Economic Development